Rainbow at shoreline

The Massachusetts ME/CFS & FM Association, a 501(c)3 founded in 1985, exists to meet the needs of patients with ME (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis), CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) or FM (Fibromyalgia), their families and loved ones. The Massachusetts ME/CFS & FM Association works to educate health-care providers and the general public regarding these severely-disabling physical illnesses. We also support patients and their families and advocate for more effective treatment and research.

Volunteer

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The Massachusetts ME/CFS & FM Association is made up almost entirely of patient volunteers and their families and friends. We need your help to keep the Massachusetts ME/CFS & FM Association running smoothly and to accomplish our mission. Please consider volunteering to help with this work.

We provide training and on-going supervision to allow volunteers to offer support to patients/families, or to help keep our Association running. Most volunteer work is done from home, and time commitments/hours are flexible.

Please see our Volunteer Orientation Manual for more information.

The following opportunities are available as of September, 2023.

  • Board of Directors - positions open now!  We are in need of a Tresurer.
  • Volunteer Coordinator - Recruit and manage the volunteers who power our Association. This requires a significant commitment of time and might appeal to a retired individual or part-time worker, looking to make a multi-year investment of time. Learn more.
  • Patient Support - Respond to requests for health care provider referrals using our website and proprietary healthcare provider database. A valuable and rewarding contribution can be made in as little as 1 hour per week. Approximately 20 hours of training is provided.
  • Legislative Advocacy - Participate in building an advocacy agenda for Massachusetts legislation and policy in the long covid era. Help coordinate our participation in the national Advocacy Week meetings coordinated by the  SolveME Initiative.  
  • Transcription - This is a self-paced opportunity for individuals interested in transcribing speeches, interviews and other video events.  Most of the work would be editting auto-generated transcription.
  • Other opportunities are available in telephone support to patients, membership support, support group facilitation, website migration, community outreach and help with events.

If you would like to help in these or in any other way, please fill out this form

If you are a healthy family member or friend we especially need your help. We will talk with you about your interests, skills, and how you can contribute. Remember, even a little time, put together with the efforts of others, can accomplish a great deal.

Contact us to volunteer.

Thank you for your support!

Donate

Massachusetts ME/CFS & FM Association is an all-volunteer organization and depends on the donations of supporters to continue its work and respond to the many needs of the patient community. All of our income is used to support essential services.

Make a Donation

We use your donations to:

  • Publish our website which provides up-to-date information about ME/CFS and fibromyalgia covering a broad range of topics, sends out alerts about current news and developments, and accepts requests for support services
  • Maintain our Information Line where trained volunteers respond to general questions about the two illnesses (which often overlap) and serve as a gateway to the Association's support services
  • Assist with referrals to healthcare providers
  • Give guidance on disability process and related issues
  • Better educate and expand awareness within the community
  • Establish a public information group to reach out to various forms of media
  • Improve communication with pertinent state and federal agencies
  • Sponsor public educational lectures
  • Be advocates at all possible levels (local, state, national)

We can now accept donations online. You may use your credit card or mail in a check.

Make a Donation

All donations are gratefully acknowledged and are tax-deductible to the full extent allowed by law. We thank you for your support.

Privacy

Your privacy is of the utmost importance to us. We will never share your personally identifiable information with any other entities.

Notice about names

The Massachusetts ME/CFS & FM Association would like to clarify the use of the various acronyms for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), Chronic Fatigue & Immune Dysfunction Syndrome (CFIDS) and  Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) on this site. When we generate our own articles on the illness, we will refer to it as ME/CFS, the term now generally used in the United States. When we are reporting on someone else’s report, we will use the term they use. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other federal agencies, including the CDC, are currently using ME/CFS. 

Massachusetts ME/CFS & FM Association changed its name in July, 2018, to reflect this consensus.